When it comes to exercise, there are a lot of people who are beginners, newbies, and newbies. Avid enthusiast. Reluctant participants. And everyone in between is looking for the holy grail, the workout that gives you the most results with the least amount of time and effort.
We live in the most scientifically advanced era in fitness. Exercise is a multi-billion dollar industry, and much of that money goes into new research and developing new technologies. You’d think that if there was an easier way to get the benefits of squats and pull-ups without actually doing them, we’d have already found it.
Even though there is no magic pill or one-minute, low-impact full-body workout that will burn fat, build muscle, and prevent all serious health problems, the industry is full of cleverly marketed plans and drugs that promise the world a fraction of your time and effort.
The latest trending regimen that falls into this category is aerobic exercise known as 12-3-30. Believers say 12-3-30 lives at the ideal intersection of minimal effort and maximum results.
Is this true? Has exercise’s biggest secret been uncovered, or is this yet another lie perpetrated by Big Treadmill?
Coaches and personal trainers I spoke to said 12 wins, 3 minutes and 30 seconds is a net positive. In general, people who are physically active are better than people who are inactive, and anything that gets people to exercise is a good thing. But they also believe 12-3-30 provides an insight into how people have traditionally thought of exercise as something complex, and how simple it can be.
No one alive today can honestly claim to have invented walking uphill. However, fitness influencer Lauren Girard is largely credited with rebranding this physical act as “12-3-30.” Girard posted the YouTube video on or about December 3, 2019. In 2020, she claimed that walking for 30 minutes on a treadmill at a speed of 3 miles per hour at a 12 percent incline helped her lose 30 pounds and keep it off. In an interview with good morning americaGiraldo said he started using the 12-3-30 formula because it was a non-intimidating way to work out.
The good thing about 12-3-30 is its simplicity. There are a finite number of treadmill settings, and the hardest part of this routine is remembering which numbers go where. The slope is set to 12. Enter three values for speed input. And 30 is the number of minutes required to complete this ritual.
“The 12-3-30 is good for that purpose: low-impact, easy-to-repeat cardio,” Charlie Atkins, a certified personal trainer and founder of guided exercise app Le Sweat, told Vox. “I classify 12-3-30 as LISS, or low-intensity steady-state cardio.”
I tried the 12-3-30 at the gym this week and was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t expect walking at this seemingly meager pace to be so difficult as to break a sweat.
Atkins explained that 12-3-30 and other LISS routines are effective because they get your heart rate up with relatively little effort compared to things like running, and are less physically demanding. This makes the 12-3-30 particularly appealing to beginners, those returning from an injury or long break, and those who want to get the recommended amount of aerobic exercise for their health but don’t want to make it a full-time job.
James McMillian, a certified personal trainer and president of Tone House, a strength and conditioning facility in New York City, agreed with Atkins that 12-3-30 is good for many people. The barrier to entry is low, as it does not require particularly high skill levels and is relatively low stress on the joints. Those who aren’t interested in more challenging aerobic activities, such as running or group cycling classes, may find 12-3-30 more manageable. Doing so may result in more consistency.
“Walking uphill gets your heart rate up, burns calories, and builds lower-body endurance without beating yourself up,” says McMillian. “The more you remove friction, the more people will be consistent.”
I tried the 12-3-30 at the gym this week and was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t expect walking at this seemingly meager pace to be so difficult as to break a sweat. Sure, 12-3-30 is very simple (almost to the point of being annoying), but it’s also not something you can really coast through. This pace is slightly above brisk walking speed and is the speed you would use to pass someone drinking candy in front of you on the sidewalk. The slope looks like a steep hill. Granted, it wasn’t as difficult as some of the spinning or HIIT classes I’ve taken, but it did make me sweat. (I don’t really trust treadmill calorie counts, but the machine actually told me I burned 390 calories.)
The experts I spoke to said that to get the most out of your workout, you shouldn’t hold on to the treadmill railing. Taking that advice made for an unpleasant cardio workout that required me to actually pay attention (I couldn’t text or scroll on my phone while running), but it wasn’t impossible to complete.
The experts I spoke to said that 12-3-30 is not a silver bullet and that strength training may be more effective, but while the goal is to get stronger or improve athletic performance, there is also a saying in the industry that the best training is the actual training. 12-3-30 is a plan that many people can reliably execute. By that standard, it’s good.
How much of 12-3-30 equates to good marketing?
While effectiveness and consistency are important factors, perhaps the biggest factor in 12-3-30’s popularity is its ease of sale.
“12-3-30 is like a $5 Footlong,” Bobby McMullen, a personal trainer and founder of the fitness app Adonis, told Vox. McMullen’s app matches clients with personal trainers based on goals, budget, and location, and spends a lot of time thinking about how to meet gym goers where they are.
McMullen pointed out that workouts like P90X and Hard 75 are so popular in part because of their packaging. Some people seem to appreciate it when workouts like sandwiches come with a numerical identifier. Branding is important because participating in workouts that are named after popular numbers that others have posted can be a form of motivation.
“It sticks with me so I know exactly what to do,” McMullen said. “You just press a few buttons and don’t change it for 30 minutes. It’s a very catchy and viral workout.”
McMullen and other experts I spoke to pointed out that the 12-3-30 gimmick also works for the simple fact that many people go to the gym but don’t know what to do, or want or need to be told exactly how to spend their time. For many people, working out is an escape. Who wants to think when you’re trying not to think?
Unlike the appeal of bootcamps or other workouts that pride themselves on crushing themselves, the appeal of 12-3-30 is that it’s supposed to be easy enough. Theoretically, it is achievable by a wide range of people. Its friendliness is its strength and a major reason for its popularity. McMullen said you can also customize the program and adjust the speed to make it easier or harder as needed. (But he said, “It would be crazy to get any steeper.”)
“Moving your body is a win,” McMullen said, adding that the most important thing about the 12-3-30 is that it shows people that workouts don’t have to be as complicated as they think.
“Whatever works for you is better than nothing,” he said. “If you have time, run up that hill like Kate Bush, baby.”
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